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Steel Magnolias meets The Help in this Southern debut novel sparkling with humor, heart, and feminine wisdom
Twelve-year-old CeeCee Honeycutt is in trouble. For years, she has been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, Camille-the tiara-toting, lipstick-smeared laughingstock of an entire town-a woman trapped in her long-ago … an entire town-a woman trapped in her long-ago moment of glory as the 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen. But when Camille is hit by a truck and killed, CeeCee is left to fend for herself. To the rescue comes her previously unknown great-aunt, Tootie Caldwell.
In her vintage Packard convertible, Tootie whisks CeeCee away to Savannah’s perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricity, a world that seems to be run entirely by women. From the exotic Miz Thelma Rae Goodpepper, who bathes in her backyard bathtub and uses garden slugs as her secret weapons, to Tootie’s all-knowing housekeeper, Oletta Jones, to Violene Hobbs, who entertains a local police officer in her canary-yellow peignoir, the women of Gaston Street keep CeeCee entertained and enthralled for an entire summer.
Laugh-out-loud funny and deeply touching, Beth Hoffman’s sparkling debut is, as Kristin Hannah says, “packed full of Southern charm, strong women, wacky humor, and good old-fashioned heart.” It is a novel that explores the indomitable strengths of female friendship and gives us the story of a young girl who loses one mother and finds many others.
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Great job of getting inside the characters
To tell of the cultural differences of two individauls attracted to each other was very very well done. I was encouraged and inspired by the author’s descriptions of life in a small English village and the hurdles that cultural ignorance and bias can bring. I completely enjoyed this read and cheered for the perseverance of the characters.
Sad story of a child having to be care giver for a mentally ill mother until the mother gets killed. Then main character’s life gets entwined in the lives of her elderly Aunt and the aunts wacky friends. Some of the characters were quite entertaining for reader.
Loved the characters & how they remained true to themselves but gave freely to others.
CeeCee’s life was truly changed and healed by the women of the South! I loved the book! It would be great to have a sequel of CeeCee’s school age years until she is an adult!
Reminded me a lot of my southern relatives.
I enjoyed this book about growing up in the South.
A lovely story about a young girl, surviving a difficult childhood with a mentally ill mother and how her wonderful, eccentric great-aunt sweeps in to take her away, and changes her life path.
Shows the adaptability of the human spirit.
Oh my gosh, this story was SO incredibly good! I love stories with a bit of a Cinderella theme! Such tragedy at the beginning and such a perfect, happily ever after! This story, the characters, were beyond amazing! This would make an absolutely exceptional movie! I now own this book because I can’t wait to read it over and just savor the delightful journey this adorable character traveled from hell to heaven!
The characters of this book were so easy to fall in love with. They made me laugh all through out the book. A very good feeling book.
Great book about over coming our childhood. Raised by a mentally ill mother and a father, who was for the most part, absent and uncaring. CeeCee is rescued by an aunt who teaches her about love, especially about loving yourself, and embracing your life, past, present and future.
Excellent book! Great storytelling at it’s best.
This was a wonderful book. I would recommend it to anybody.
Great coming-of-age story.
Just a sweet story with wonderful characters. Loved the descriptions.
This is a fast and enjoyable read. Rather than a rags-to-riches, this is misery-to-happiness as a young girl with a mentally ill mother and a distant, both literally and figuratively, father is whisked away to live with a distant relative in a mansion in Savannah. It was marred for me only because it is so dated–Martin Luther King is still alive! Fun characters.
very good book
A wonderful coming of age story with a lot of help from some unexpected places. Warm and witty.
Well written, southern story line about a troubled family and how a relative offered an alternative to the daughter. Well written, show cases southern hospitality and customs. Inspirational but not religious.